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On their new album Shapeshifter II: Outbreak, New York-bred band TAUK offer an unsettling but ultimately exhilarating look at artificial intelligence and its potential to upend our world. With its dynamic sense of tension and cinematic mastery of mood, TAUK’s all-instrumental blend of progressive rock, hip-hop, and jazz proves to be the perfect backdrop for such explorations, giving way to an album that’s both powerfully hypnotic and intensely thought-provoking.

“We’re all very much interested in A.I., and this idea of machines getting out of the hands of the people trying to control them,” notes TAUK guitarist Matt Jalbert, whose bandmates include bassist Charlie Dolan, keyboardist Alric “A.C.” Carter, and drummer Isaac Teel. “This album felt like a good setting to tell that kind of story, but in a way where we could have fun with it and let the listener escape into a whole other world.”

Equally inspired by classic sci-fi like Blade Runner and more recent films like Ex Machina, Shapeshifter II: Outbreak embeds that narrative into TAUK’s most sonically adventurous, emotionally expansive work to date. A continuation of their early-2018 EP Shapeshifter I: Construct, the new album picks up its predecessor’s narrative thread with “Prelude”: a fantastically unsettling intro track whose frenetic keyboard work and chilling vocal samples set the tone for what’s to come. “The idea is that in the EP you’re seeing the construction of this being, and in the album you’re seeing it break out and become something that you can’t ignore anymore,” Carter explains.

From there, TAUK charge forward with the driving rhythms of “Recreational Outrage” (a track laced with the ominous throb of a robotic heartbeat), the futuristic soundscape and heady grooves of “CMF 9000,” the gauzy reverie and glorious chaos of “Checkmate,” and the bright melodies and soulful guitar sprawl of “Convoy.” One of the album’s most mesmerizing moments, “Let It Ride” builds a brilliant tapestry from its luminous keyboard tones, kinetic guitar work, and kaleidoscopic rhythms. And on “Upside Down,” TAUK close out Shapeshifter II: Outbreak with a thrillingly epic burst of unfettered experimentalism.

Free-flowing yet elaborately composed, Shapeshifter II: Outbreak came to life in collaboration with TAUK’s longtime cohort Robert Carranza—a Grammy Award-winning producer/mixer/engineer also known for his work The Mars Volta, Ozomatli, Marilyn Manson, and Taj Mahal. In a departure from their previous releases (including 2016’s Sir Nebula), the band shunned the typical studio environment and holed up for weeks in a long-abandoned, century-old home that Teel describes as “the Jumanji house meets Addams Family meets Amityville Horror.” Located in their homeland of Long Island, the house turned out to be the ideal spot for their makeshift studio, allowing for a creativity-enhancing seclusion. “Overall the whole process was incredibly organic—there were no constrictions as far as time or space, nothing ever felt forced,” says Dolan. “There was a greater feeling of possibility, and it ended up being a really liberating experience for all of us.” Jalbert adds: “The location definitely added to the vibe of everything we were going for. It was like we set up a laboratory in the middle of nowhere and shut off the rest of the world, which really helped get us into a specific headspace.”

True to its thematic terrain, Shapeshifter II: Outbreak endlessly blurs the boundaries between organic and electronic, with TAUK broadening their sonic palette to include a vast spectrum of synth sounds and programmed effects (such as those exquisitely eerie vocal samples heard in “Prelude”). And in sculpting the album’s intricate arrangements, TAUK called on such esteemed musicians as The Naughty Horns, Ghost-Note’s Nate Werth (a percussionist who’s also played with David Crosby, Q-Tip, and Snarky Puppy), and Juan Alderete (longtime bassist for Racer X and The Mars Volta).

Throughout Shapeshifter II: Outbreak, TAUK reveal the potent chemistry they discovered in childhood, when longtime friends Dolan, Jalbert, and Carter formed their first band in seventh grade. After playing together in various projects, the trio brought Teel into the fold in 2012, cementing the final lineup. Since then, TAUK have shared stages with acts like Umphrey’s McGee, Widespread Panic, and Lettuce, appeared at festivals like Electric Forest and Bonnaroo, and earned acclaim from major outlets like the Washington Post (who praised TAUK for “creating a hard-charging, often melodic fusion that—thanks to a penchant for improv—offers limitless possibilities”). As Teel points out, the band’s incessant touring over the years has significantly strengthened their musical connection. “The four of us as individuals are all very animated souls in our own right,” he says. “We each have our ideas and our perspectives, and when it all comes together, it creates this collective statement that takes on a life of its own.”

In creating Shapeshifter II: Outbreak, TAUK made that statement more deliberate and impactful than ever before. But while several upcoming videos and the vibrant artwork of illustrator Raul Urias add a new dimension to the album’s concept, the band purposely maintained a certain open-endedness in its execution. “People tell us all kinds of stories about what our songs mean to them, and it’s always cool to see how wide the gamut of those stories is,” says Carter. “What the song means to me might not be the same as what it means to you, but that’s one of the great things about this whole experience. There’s room for everyone to develop whatever narrative they want.”
The Oyster Bay, New York-based quartet has received accolades from a number of tastemaking authorities, including an “On The Verge” feature in Relix Magazine and frequent rotation for the singles “Mindshift”, “Sweet Revenge”, “Dead Signal” and “In the Basement of the Alamo” on Sirius XM Jam On. Despite their years of experience as a musical unit, the quartet is a young promising band that Jambase calls “a guaranteed quickly-ascend band.” The Washington Post describes the band by saying: “TAUK's instrumental music melds genres and styles, creating a hard-charging, often melodic fusion that - thanks to a penchant for improv - offers limitless possibilities" and The Deli Magazine singles out the band’s compelling melodic sense through explaining: “the quartet has a rare ability to channel emotional melodic leads, and all without a lead singer."

The band’s latest album, Collisions, is a breakthrough in that it finally captures the essence of TAUK’s entrancing live shows. It’s a thoughtfully composed album with captivating hum-along melodies, but this time the band was able to road test the songs, allowing the recorded versions to reflect the group’s adventurous improvisations. The 10-song album spans delicate ethereal textures, highly imaginatively funky drumming, labyrinthine arrangements, and fiery solos—often in the same song.

“We called it ‘Collisions’ because it calls to mind how, when things come together, it is often explosive and leads to something completely different,” bassist Charlie Dolan explains. Alric "A.C." Carter, keyboard-organ, adds: “It also evokes how we are very different as people, but within the band, we find a way to work together and compliment each other’s musical ideas as an egoless unit.”

On Collisions the band worked with longtime collaborator Grammy-winning producer Robert Carranza (Mars Volta, Jack Johnson). Carranza helped the band find the optimum mix of song structure, breathing jam sections, and warm & clear fidelity. Also enhancing the experience of Collisions is the album’s stunning puzzle-like cover art done by Jeff Jordan, graphic artist who previously worked with Mars Volta, among others. The album’s deconstructed and post-modern abstractness perfectly reflect the sonic character of the music. Alric "AC" Carter explains: “In the artwork it’s clear to see there are many parts that build the entire picture. It’s like a song where some parts play supporting roles and other sections instantly grab your attention. However, the most important aspect is the bigger picture."
TAUK has built a dedicated and loyal fanbase through tireless touring. Festival highlights include Bonnaroo, The Hangout Music Festival, Summer Camp, LOCKN’, Hudson Project, FloydFest, Bear Creek, Art Outside and The Allman Brothers' Peach Fest. TAUK’s broadly appealing musicality has allowed the band to be direct support to such diverse artists as The Funky Meters, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Papadosio, Lettuce, Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, moe., Dopapod, Tim Reynolds & TR3, Toubab Krewe, The Revivalists and many more.

It’s been an astounding journey for the musicians, in terms of four very different personalities conceptually colliding until they merge through inventing a collective musical lexicon.

"It is undeniable that these guys have modern hip-hop originality with the smooth, timeless style of jazz. From their street style to their verging-on Minnesota niceness, there is nothing less than real about these fellas. Always about the music, always about creating, the most attractive part about them ... is their obvious authenticity and raw artistry. Keeping their genuine interests as first priority ... the guys continue creating as a whole culture builds itself around the products of their imaginations."

-EDMChicago

While Exmag and Kanye West come from vastly different genres and career stages, they are making parallel moves in live entertainment by turning the concert’s traditional role in album marketing on its head.

- Forbes

From the sultry vibes of “Go Up” to the funky beats of “Not The Last Time,” the listener goes from hip swivels to full body oscillations. Featuring only instrumentals on this track, Exmag exhibits their love of funk and soul as well as their skill in creating it. Thick and encompassing, “Not The Last Time” is as familiar as it is unique, reaching across genres and audiences. Their playful and uplifting sound can easily enliven any dancefloor, from the sticky floors of a night club to the dusty ground of a music festival.

-Huffington Post, Morena Duwe

"Containing all the right elements of funk, soul, blues, R&B, and electronica, this evergrowing contingent of artists is not just another EDM group, but a production collective who explore new means of pushing the limits by combining live instruments and vocalists with their own synthesized beats."